Egypt must rise again

As thousands of protestors try to create their own version of Tajir Square on Wall Street and in cities around the nation, a center of revolution on the other side of the world is being choked by an oppressive military junta. The jubiliation in February when dictator Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by the people of Egypt has worn off, with good reason. Once an inspiration to people worldwide is now a symbol of revolt gone wrong. In place of Mubarak is the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, a classy way of saying a military dictatorship. They rule by decree in a state of emergency and use that power to repress opposition to their new regime.

Tajir Square. Photo by Associated Press.

They pass laws without democratic consent, imprison people who speak against them, and won’t hold a new session of Parliament until March. The offices of news organizations have been raided. It’s a dream that has morphed into a nightmare. People put their lives on the line in Egypt to rid the country of a dictator. Now their efforts could be in vain if no attempt is made to tear down the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. The military junta must be toppled with the same vigor and bravery that brought down Hosni Mubarak.

When people in Egypt are wishing for the Mubarak days, you know something is wrong. Egypt, with all it’s broken promises and false hope, will live to be a case study for future rebels. The protests, which had strong labor and union elements, were hijacked by tepid moderates who wished to seek compromise at any turn. While even the slightest compromise is a dream for Americans looking at Congress, in Egypt it meant making deals with the devil and giving up revolutionary aspirations. Moderates tried to get people to go back indoors, to leave the streets and give up the protest. Luckily, most people didn’t listen. They continued with their assault on authoritarianism and brought down a corrupt leader. But now they face the same challenges manifested in a different form.

There can be no compromise with dictators, juntas, authoritarians, or anyone else standing in the way to a people’s right to govern themselves. Enough with the moderates. Topple the regime. There can be no compromise with undemocratic authority. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces was not elected. The people didn’t consent, and when they voice their concerns they are imprisoned. It’s time for the junta to go.

Egypt needs widespread democracy, starting on local levels that allow each citizen to participate directly in the affairs of their community. It won’t happen through a military dictatorship or by compromise. The sequel to Tajir Square is being written. Every man, woman, and child in Egypt has the chance to be a beacon of hope for others living under brutal conditions, who beg for an ounce of freedom. Let freedom ring not only from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, or the mighty mountains of New York, but from every street in Egypt where there lies a simple wish: to be free at last, free at last, God Almighty, free at last.